2. Bar genes from Streptomyces

A DNA fragment, for the subsequent transformation of plant cells, coding for a polypeptide having phosphinotricin-acetyl-transferase activity, which consists of a nucleotide sequence coding for the following amino acid sequence
V S P E R R P V E I R P A T A A D M A A V C D I V N H Y I E T S T V N P R T E P Q T P Q E W I D D L E R L Q D R Y P W L V A E V E G V V A G I A Y A G P W K A R N A Y D W T V E S T V Y V S H R H Q R L G L G S T L Y T H L L K S M E A Q G F K S V V A V I G L P N D P S V R L H S A L G Y T A R G T L R A A G Y K H G G W H D V G F W Q R D F E L P A P P R P V R P V T Q I *
or of a part of said nucleotide sequence of sufficient length to code for a polypeptide still having phosphinothricin-acetyl-transferase activity.

The DNA fragment of claim 1, which comprises the following nucleotide sequence
T A A A G A G G T G C C C C C C A C C C G C T T T C O C A G X A C A C C G A A G G A G A C C A C A C G T G A G C C C A G A A C G A C G C C C G G T C G A G A T C C G T C C C G C C A C C G C C G C C G A C A T C G C G G C G G T C T G C G A C A T C G T C A A T C A C T A C A T C G A G A C G A G C A C G G T C A A C T T C C G T A C G G A G C C G C A G A C T C C G C A G G A G T G G A T C G A C G A C C T G G A G C G C C T C C A G G A C C G C T A C C C C T G G C T C G T C G C C G A G G T G G A G G G C G T C G T C G C C G G C A T C G C C T A C G C C G G C C C C T G G A A G G C C C G C A A C G C C T A C G A C T G G A C C G T C G A G T C G A C G G T G T A C G T C T C C C A C C G G C A C C A G C G G C T C G G A C T G G G C T C C A C C C T C T A C A C C C A C C T G C T C A A G T C C A T G G A G G C C C A G G G C T T C A A G A G C G T G G T C G C C G T C A T C G G A C T G C C C A A C G A C C C G A G C G T G C G C C T G C A C G A G G C G C T C G G A T A C A C C G C G C G C G G G A C G C T G C G G G C A G C C G G C T A C A A G C A C G G G G G C T G G C A C G A C O T G G G G T T C T G G C A G C G C G A C T T C G A G C T G C C G G C C C C G C C C C G C C C C G T C C G G C C C G T C A C A C A G A T C T G A G C G G G A G A G C G C A T G G C
or of a part thereof expressing a polypeptide having phosphinothricinacetyl-transferase activity.

Process for controlling the action in plant cells and plants comprising such cells of a glutamine synthetase inhibitor when the former are contacted with the latter, which comprises causing the stable integration in the genomic DNA of said plant cells of a heterologous DNA including a promoter recognized by polymerases of said plant cells and a foreign nucleotide sequence capable of being expressed in the form of a protein in said plant cells, and wherein said protein has an enzymatic activity capable of causing inactivation or neutralization of said glutamine synthetase inhibitor, characterized in that said foreign nucleotide sequence is the nucleotide sequence or the DNA fragment of any of claims 1 to 3.

Process for producing a plant or reproduction material of said plant including a heterologous genetic material stably integrated therein and capable of being expressed in said plants or reproduction material in the form of a protein capable of inactivating or neutralizing the activity of a glutamine synthetase inhibitor, which process comprises transforming cells or tissue of said plants with a DNA recombinant containing a heterologous DNA, as well as the regulatory elements selected among those which are capable of causing the stable integration of said heterologous DNA in said plant cells or tissue and of enabling the expression of said foreign nucleotide sequence in said plant cells or plant tissue, regenerating plants or reproduction material of said plants or both from the plants cells or tissue transformed with said heterologous DNA and, optionally, biologically replicating said last mentioned plants or reproduction material or both, characterized in that said heterologous DNA has the nucleotide sequence of the DNA fragment of any of claims 1 to 3 or of said part that codes for a protein having phosphinothricin acetyl transferase activity.

Process for selectively protecting a plant species and selectively destroying weeds in a field which comprises the steps of treating a field with a herbicide, wherein the plant species contain in their genome a heterologous DNA as defined in any of claims 1 to 3, and wherein the used herbicide is a glutamine synthetase inhibitor.

Process for selectively protecting a plant species in a field against fungal diseases comprising the steps of treating a field with a herbicide consisting of a glutamine synthetase inhibitor, wherein the plant species contain in the genome of its cells a heterologous DNA as defined in any of claims 1 to 3 and wherein the used herbicide is a glutamine synthetase inhibitor.

A process for the production of a plant cell that is tolerant or resistant to the herbicidal activity of a glutamine synthetase inhibitor including phosphinothricin or a compound with a phosphinothricin moiety, which comprises the step of incorporating into the nuclear genome of a starting plant cell a recombinant DNA comprising:
a) a promoter recognized by the polymerases of said starting plant cell, and
b) a coding region comprising a DNA fragment from a microorganism which produces said glutamine synthetase inhibitor, wherein said DNA fragment encodes a protein with acetyl transferase activity to said glutamine synthetase inhibitor.

The process of claim 1, in which said DNA fragment is from a Streptomyces species and said DNA fragment encodes a protein with phosphinothricin acetyl transferase activity.

A process for the protection of a group of cultivated plants of a plant species in the field by destroying weeds and/or fungi wherein said plants have incorporated into the genome of their cells a recombinant DNA comprising
a) a promoter recognized by the polymerases of cells of said plants, and
b) a coding region comprising a DNA fragment from a microorganism which produces a glutamine synthetase inhibitor including phosphinothricin or a compound having a phosphinothricin moiety, wherein said DNA fragment encodes a protein with acetyl transferase activity to said glutamine synthetase inhibitor, and wherein said weeds and/or fungi are destroyed by application of a herbicide comprising said glutamine synthetase inhibitor as an active ingredient.

A process for the production of a pure culture of transformed plant cells that have a foreign DNA incorporated into the nuclear genome of their cells which comprises the steps of:
i) transforming starting plant cells in a plant cell culture with a foreign DNA which comprises:
a) a promoter recognized by the polymerases of said starting plant cell, and
b) a coding region comprising a DNA fragment from a microorganism which produces a glutamine synthetase inhibitor, including phosphinothricin or a compound with a phosphinothricin moiety wherein said DNA fragment encodes a protein with acetyl transferase activity to said glutamine synthetase inhibitor; and
ii) selecting the transformed plant cells by applying to the plant cell culture said glutamine synthetase inhibitor at a sufficient concentration to kill the untransformed plant cells.

A vector comprising a chimeric gene comprising in sequence:
(a) a promoter recognized by polymerases of a plant cell; and
(b) a DNA fragment encoding a protein with acetyl transferase activity on a glutamine synthetase inhibitor, wherein said protein is capable of inactivating said glutamine synthetase inhibitor in a plant cell.

The vector of claim 1, wherein said DNA fragment encodes a protein with phosphinothricin acetyl transferase activity.

A vector comprising a DNA fragment encoding a protein with acetyl transferase activity on a glutamine synthetase inhibitor, wherein said protein is capable of inactivating said glutamine synthetase inhibitor in a plant cell.